Battling the big ‘C’
Forgive me if I pass on saying one more word about Measure Z.
If only Measure Z could top Jason Hoeltzel’s list of worries.
Hoeltzel, 36, owner of CJ’s Grill, will be moving back to the Pittsburgh, Pa. metropolitan area sometime next week in order to take care of a bout of prostate cancer.
His kids and wife Carrie returned to Pennsylvania last month.
Hoeltzel is no stranger to cancer, having beaten a lymphoma scare back in 2009.
When I swung by CJ’s this week to speak with him, I found him in the residence quarters at the back of the restaurant … playing video games with a few employees. A good sign. His spirits were good.
And he is not throwing in the towel on CJ’s. The restaurant will reopen to coincide with MMSA’s opening next month.
James Bell (brother of current employee Justin), a catering chef in Seattle, is coming down to manage the restaurant.
Justin Bell, Kyle Kolod, Michelle Storer, Chris Stewart and other mainstays will hold the fort in Hoeltzel’s absence.
The cancer comes at an inopportune time for Jason, who saw his summer business increase 25-30% this year. The place was slammed, he was working 80-hour weeks, and he was loving it.
“I don’t want to leave, but my body’s telling me something else … for now. I imagine I’ll pull out to leave next week, get to the Shell station at the corner of Old Mammoth and 203, pull over into the parking lot and start bawling.”
“It’s a little rat race we run up here,” he added philsophically. “Sooner or later, it catches up with all of us.” Hoeltzel knows that as a workaholic, he probably doesn’t have the discipline to stay in Mammoth and ratchet it back. He needs to take care of himself.
The restaurant, he acknowledged, is for sale, but … “everything in Mammoth’s for sale, isn’t it?” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
As Hoeltzel explained about the prostate cancer, “All men have prostate cancer when they die, but it’s not what kills you.” He said it’s generally slow-moving in most men. It;s unusual to manifest in a 36-year old. On the 1-6 scale the doctors use to gauge severity, Hoeltzel currently sits at a 3.
Best wishes to Jason – a brave guy with a great attitude.
Suspect flees from cops in Benton
The Mono County Sheriff’s Department ended a manhunt for Jason Shane Wolter, age 42, of Acton who evaded arrest in Benton on Sept. 26 but was found later the same night. Wolter was taken into custody without incident.
According to a press release, the California Highway Patrol stopped Wolter on Highway 6 for a traffic violation in the early morning hours of Sept. 26. Wolter fled from the CHP when they attempted to arrest him for a felony warrant out of Los Angeles County.
Wolter was later located by CHP on a dirt road outside of Benton. Wolter fled again, eventually abandoning his vehicle on Black Rock Mine Road. Law enforcement officers from the Mono County Sheriff’s Department, Bishop Police Department, Inyo County Sheriff’s Department, Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management responded to assist.
With help from a CHP helicopter, all responding agencies searched high and low for this definitely dangerous and possibly armed suspect, but were unable to locate him after several hours. Wolter had no known means of communication or sustenance.
Mono County Sheriff’s deputies continued to patrol the area where Wolter was last seen in an effort to protect the Benton and Chalfant communities. The diligent effort paid off as Wolter was located near some large sage brush on Black Rock Mine Road shortly after sunset on the same Saturday.
Wolter was arrested for PC 3455(b)(1) – revocation, modification or termination of post-release community suspension and VC 2800.0 – driving in willful or wanton disregard for safety of persons or property while fleeing from pursuing police officers. Wolter is currently in custody with all charges pending with the Mono County District Attorney’s Office.
The Mono County Sheriff’s Office thanks all the cooperating agencies for responding quickly and working together to capture this wanted suspect. We also thank the community members of Benton and Chalfant for your patience and assistance during this incident.
